ving to say his say at the same
time, with the result that no man was anywise audible in the great din
that followed. It seemed likely that Florence would see again enacted
one of those bloody public feuds such as had not now, for some time,
desolated her hearths and distracted her streets. People were beginning
to divide on this unexpected quarrel and take this side or that, as
their fancy or their allegiance might lead them, and I think that the
most part of the public took sides with Dante, partly because he was
young and a lover, and partly because he was one of the victors in the
fight against the Aretines, and fresh from the field of triumph, and
partly, too, out of a very general dislike to Messer Simone. But Simone
had plenty of followers too, that were very ready to draw sword and to
strike for him, and Messer Folco Portinari had his friends and his
kinsfolk, who shared his indignation at the wrong which, as they
conceived, was thus publicly put upon him.

The object of Messer Folco's friends was to take away Beatrice from
Dante, by whose side she now stood, very pale and calm and determined.
The object of Messer Simone was now, if by any means he could compass
it, to kill Dante where he stood, and as many of his friends as were
with him, and so get rid of this troublesome young opponent once for
all. Therefore, many swords were raised in the air, and many voices
screamed old war-cries that had not vexed the winds of Florence for long
enough, and enemy taunted enemy, and antagonist challenged antagonist,
and it needed but a little thing to set fire to the torch of civic war.
But before any sword could strike against another, and before those
zealous champions of peace, that were running as fast as they could to
the Signory to summon the city authorities to intervene and stay strife,
could gain their end, there came an unexpected interruption to the
threatened conflict.

It was Beatrice herself who held back the hostile forces and stayed the
lifted swords. She moved from her place by the side of her lover and
stood a little ways apart from him, at about an equal distance between
him and her father, and she raised her voice to speak to the people of
her city; and those about her, seeing what she meant to do, were
instantly silent, and the silence spread over all the assembled crowd;
and when Beatrice spoke she was heard by all who were present. It was a
rare and a strange thing for a Florentine woman thus to add